Some weeks are hard

Fred asked me the other day if I had posted for the week and I told him I hadn't because nothing really funny or noteworthy had happened.  Honestly, it has been quite the opposite over the last few weeks.  To be honest, I've been kind of down...as in I cry over the simplest things (which I rarely do) and I'm just in a generally foul mood.  I am not in the running for mother of the year this week.  In fact, at one point last week I got so disgusted at dinner that I left the table and sat in the car...with the windows rolled up and screamed at the top of my lungs...for a pretty good while.  It was the only place I could think of to be alone.  We are on top of each other.  Literally, Andrew talks to me from his room on the top bunk when I am laying in bed.  This week my parenting has felt like I'm playing zone defense in an NBA game:

Jack, stop annoying your brother.
Andrew, stop whining.
Clayton, if you wouldn't let him bother you he would stop.
Jack, quit.  He's asked four times.  I've asked once.  It's enough.  Be a joy.  Don't annoy.
Clayton, finish your school work.  No, it is not too much.  Just do it.  (Que speech about work ethic and responsibility.)
Andrew, get off the floor.  Seriously.get.off.the.floor!
Me, who tracked in mud?
Jack, QUIT!!!  For the last time...quit whatever it is that you are doing.
Jack, have you started your school work?
And on and on and on...one right after the other.  Zone defense in a basketball game for which I seem to be very ill equipped to play.

This was a conversation this week.  I can laugh at it now, but not in the moment.
Jack:  Mom, Andrew hit me in the head.
Andrew:  No I didn't!  I hit you in the face!
Classic.

Don't get me wrong.  I've counted (and am counting) my blessings.  We love it here.  We have a place to stay, with warmth on cold nights and a roof over our heads.  We have family here.  We are all healthy.  God has taken care of us at every step of the way and provided a "new family" here.  My list of blessings could go on and on.  But some days, some days are tough.  I miss my friends.  I miss a few of them so bad sometimes it hurts.  I miss my "stuff".  I know, first world problem, but I do.  There is just something about sleeping in my bed.  I miss my running routes.  I knew all the dogs on each route, for crying out loud.

Why write all this down?  Who wants to hear this?!?  Do I really want to remember it?  Do I want sympathy?  (Not at all.  It makes me very uncomfortable.)  Sometimes life is hard.  Sometimes we go through rough seasons.  I write it down because I want to remember it...for the next time I'm down...for when I'm on the other side of this season.  So I can show my children that there are times that life is tough, but God is always faithful to move us from point A to point B.  If we never walk in valleys we don't appreciate the mountain.  If we never know the night how can we enjoy the sun?  It's going to be okay.  Yep, it will be.  He is faithful and He is enough.

Friday night Fred and I did get to go out.  It was a much needed time together.  Several times during the night he said, "Can you believe we live in this city?"  No, no I cannot.  I dropped the kids off at Fred and Renee's (Yeah for family in town!!) and then headed over to Liz's house for a run (this is a Hooray on its own!).  I came back here and got ready for our big night.  We had dinner at The Flying Fish and then headed to a Grizzlies game.  It's difficult to get a good picture in the Forum.  The Grizz won and it was quite the game.  We were too late for the free neck tattoo giveaway.  Clearly, we should have been more on top of our game.

After the game, since we were feeling spry we headed to The Cheesecake Corner.  We shared a piece of Peaches and Cream cheesecake.  I love cheesecake.  I love peaches.  And, I love Fred.  It turned out to be perfection.  Here's part of the perfection, minus one bite.  I got slightly excited when this was delivered to our table.  So excited, in fact, that I ate the end of it before I realized I didn't have a picture.

For those that know me this will make sense....We paid $8 for one piece of cheesecake and we didn't eat it until 10:30 p.m.  Every bit was worth it.  Worth.it.

This...

was at Kroger today.  I bought all they had.  Seriously, it must be my lucky day. Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket?!?  I kid...really.  I'm kidding.

All my boys have headed to Paris for Fred to take care of some important business...like picking up his road bike...ha!  The big boys are going to stay for a birthday party and we'll pick them up tomorrow.  So, for tonight and tomorrow it will be just me, Fred and Andrew.  Weird, but quiet.  Well, except for Andrew.  He talks incessantly.  It will be nice to just hear him though.